Frank Resnick of New Britain, Conn., writes, "Can the antique-sounding conjunction 'albeit' still be used?"

You betcha'! I'm happy to report that "albeit," despite its advanced age, is still alive and kicking.

"Albeit" emerged during the 1300s as a contraction of "although it be that," and has flourished in both spoken and written English since the 1500s.

William Shakespeare used it 14 times in his plays, e.g., "I am not made of stone, but penetrable to your kind entreats, albeit against my conscience and my soul." ("Richard III")

By the early 1900s, however, "albeit" had grown creaky with age, like an old, rusted hinge and was declining in use. Some grammarians began condemning "albeit" as archaic, albeit with some justification.

However, during the 1920s, with some household oil (and perhaps some bathtub gin), it began to swing freely again. Now it appears frequently in print, most often to introduce "concessive phrases," that is, phrases that concede a point. Here are a couple of examples from the past few weeks:

"When even Justice Samuel Alito is expressing skepticism toward the solicitor general, that's quite a sign, albeit not necessarily about how Alito is going to vote." — Stephen Vladeck, The New York Times

"Like every newly elected president since Bill Clinton, President Donald Trump began his term with his party controlling both houses, albeit narrowly." — Yuval Levin, The Atlantic

Yet, despite its current popularity, this hinge still emits an occasional squeak.

First, purists frown on using "albeit" to introduce a subordinate clause, e.g., "Bathtub beverages were popular during the 1920s, albeit they often had a soapy aftertaste." Instead of "albeit," use "although," "however" or "but."

Second, some folks object to "albeit" because its old-timey sound bears a sniff of snootiness, pretension and affectation. Well, I say, my good man!

Third, "albeit" is often mispronounced. Its first syllable should sound like "all" (awl-BEE-it), not like the first name of Al Capone (al-BEE-it).

Just for fun, which pronunciations of these other "al" words are correct?:

No. 1: alms: AHMZ or AHLMZ

No. 2: alma mater: AWL-muh-maht-ur or AL-muh-maht-ur

No. 3: almond: AH-mond or AHL-mond

No. 4: Alzheimer's: AHLTZ-high-murz ("al" rhymes with "all") or ALTZ-high-murz ("al" rhymes with the name "Al")

No. 5: alleged: uh-LEJ-id (two syllables) or uh-LEJD (one syllable)

Answers:

No. 1: AHMZ or AHLMZ No. 2: AL-muh-maht-ur No. 3: AH-mond (preferred) or AHL-mond No. 4: AHLTZ-high-murz No. 5: uh-LEJD

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. His book, "Mark My Words," is available for $9.99 on Amazon.com. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via e-mail to [email protected] or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

Photo credit: Aaron Burden at Unsplash